“Christians By Conviction”

Student Organization

Vision Statement:

Our vision would be the fulfillment of the Great Commission of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, and the introduction of apowerful and enduring presence of evangelism, discipleship, and fellowship on all academic institutions of higher learning within Illinois.

Mission Statement:

In following the Great Commission of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, and through the power of the Holy Spirit, we strive to create thriving, active, and God-glorifying campus ministries to develop Christians by conviction which will represent Jesus Christ on campus and beyond.

To develop Christians by conviction, our campus ministries will be driven with the goals of dynamic evangelism by spreading the Gospel to the students and faculty on campus, thorough discipleship through developing God-honoring weekend worship services and weekday Bible studies with a focus on apologetics, and unifying fellowship with weekly group activities.

Values Statements:

The Scriptures: We believe that the Holy Bible (consisting of 66 books) is the verbal and plenary inspired Word of God, inerrant in its original manuscripts, and is a perfectly preserved treasure of heavenly instruction (II Timothy 3:16, 17); that it has God for its author, salvation for its end (II Timothy 3:15), and truth without any mixture of error for its matter (Proverbs 30:5, 6); that it reveals the principles by which God will judge us (Romans2:12); and therefore is, and shall remain to the end of the age, the true basis of Christian unity (Philippians3:16), and the supreme standard by which all human conduct, creeds, and opinions should be tried (I John 4:1).

The True God: We believe that there is one, and only one, living and true God, an infinite, intelligent, perfect Spirit and personal Being, the Creator, Preserver and Supreme Ruler of the Universe (John 4:24), inexpressibly glorious in holiness (Exodus 15:11) and all other perfection’s, and worthy of all possible honor, confidence and love (Mark 12:30); that in the unity of the Godhead, there are three persons: the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19); and that these three are equal in every Divine perfection (John 10:30), and executing distinct, but harmonious offices in the great work of redemption (Ephesians2:18).

The Fall of Man: We believe that man was created by the special act of God (Genesis 2:7). We believe that man was created in a state of holiness, under the law of his Maker (Genesis 1:27), but through the temptation of Satan, he voluntarily transgressed and fell from this holy state (Genesis 3:6-24) in consequence of which all mankind are now sinners (Romans5:19), not by constraint, but choice (Isaiah 53:6), being by nature utterly void of that holiness required by the law of God, positively inclined to evil, and therefore under just condemnation to eternal ruin (Ephesians 2:13) without defense or excuse (Ezekiel 18:19-20).

The Way of Salvation: We believe that the salvation of sinners is wholly of grace (Ephesians2:8), through the mediatorial offices of the Son of God (John 3:16), Who pre-existed (John8:58), and Who, by the appointment of the Father, and Who, by the Holy Spirit was conceived, and born of the virgin Mary, freely took upon Him man's nature, yet without sin (Philippians 2:6, 7); honored the Divine law by His perfect obedience (Hebrews 5:8, 9), and after a miraculous ministry, by His death made a full atonement for our sins (Isaiah 53:4, 5); that having risen from the dead bodily, He is now enthroned in heaven (Hebrews 1:8), to reign in eternal sovereignty and uniting in His wonderful person the tenderest sympathies with Divine perfections, He is in every way qualified to be a suitable, compassionate and all-sufficient Saviour and Lord (Hebrews 7:25).

The Freeness of Salvation: We believe that the blessings of salvation are made free to all by the Gospel (Isaiah 55:1); that it is the immediate duty of all to accept them by a cordial, penitent, and obedient faith (Romans 16:25, 26); and that nothing prevents the salvation of the greatest sinner on earth (John 5:41) but his own inherent depravity and voluntary aggravated condemnation (John 3:19).

Sanctification: We believe that sanctification is the process by which, according to the will of God, we are made partakers of His holiness (I Thessalonians 4:3); that it is a progressive work (Proverbs 4:18); that it is begun in regeneration (I John 2:29); and that it is carried on in the hearts of believers throughout their earthly life, by the presence and power of the Holy Spirit, the Sealer and Comforter, in the continual use of the appointed means, especially the Word of God, self-examination, self-denial, watchfulness and prayer (Philippians 2:12, 13).

A Gospel Church: We believe that a visible church of Christ is a congregation of baptized believers (I Corinthians 1:1-13), associated by covenant in the faith and fellowship of the Gospel (Acts2:41, 42); observing the ordinances of Christ (I Corinthians 11:2); governed by His laws (Matthew28:20); and exercising the gifts, rights and privileges invested in them by His Word (Ephesians4:7); seeking to extend the Gospel to the ends of the earth (Matthew 28:20); that its only Scriptural officers are: Bishops, Elders or Pastors, and Deacons (Philippians 1:1), whose qualifications, claims, and duties are defined in the epistles to Timothy and Titus.

The State of the Righteous and the Wicked: We believe that there is a radical and essential difference between the righteous and the wicked (Malachi 3:18); that such only as through faith are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and sanctified by the Spirit of our God, are truly righteous in His sight (Romans 1:17); while all such as continue in impenitence and unbelief are in His sight wicked, and under the curse (I John 5:19); and this distinction holds among men both in and after death (Proverbs 14:32); that the wicked will be adjudged to endless punishment, and the righteous to endless joy (Matthew 25:31-46); and that this judgment will fix forever the final state of men in heaven and hell, on principles of righteousness by faith.

The Resurrection: We believe the Scriptures clearly teach that Jesus rose from the dead bodily, His grave was emptied of its contents (Matthew 28:1-8); that He appeared to the disciples after His resurrection in many convincing manifestations (Matthew 28:6); that He now exists in His glorified body at God's right hand (I Peter 3:22); and that there will be a resurrection of the righteous and a resurrection of the wicked, separated in time (John 5:28); that the bodies of the righteous will conform to the glorious spiritual body of the Lord Jesus Christ (Philippians 3:21).

The Return of the Lord: We believe that the return of the Lord is in two phases. The personal, bodily, pre-tribulational rapture of the church to meet the Lord in the air is imminent (2 Thessalonians 4:16-17), and the second coming of Christ is His pre-millennial return to earth with His saints to establish His kingdom.

Social Service: We believe that every Christian is under obligation to seek to make the will of Christ reign in his own life and in human society (Luke 10:25-27); to oppose in the spirit of Christ every form of greed, selfishness, and vice; to provide for the orphaned, the aged, the helpless, and the sick; to support everything that is good and righteous in industry, government and society as a whole for the benefit of men so that all men may live spiritually and righteously before God (Leviticus 6:2); and that all means and methods used in social service for the improvement of society and the establishment of righteousness among men must finally depend on the regeneration of the individual by the saving grace of God (Hebrews 2:15).

Strategies:

Our strategy consists of:

  1. Through the use of our Apologetics Bible Study, we will pursue the training of participating membership of Bethel Baptist Church in how to both effectively understand and defend the reason for the hope that they have in Jesus Christ (1 Peter 3:15) and to effectively witness to non-believers with empathy and through effective communication (1 Corinthians 9:18-23). This study and all additional endeavors will be bathed in prayer to God for His blessing and His advancement on His timing.
  2. Through the membership of BethelBaptistChurch that exists on nearby campuses which we are reaching out to, and through what resources God provides us, we will work to form student organizations on those campuses through the policies/procedures of the college.
  3. The student organizations we form will proceed with creating/hosting/pursuing:
  4. A ‘Weekend’ (Friday or Saturday) Worship Service consisting of:
  5. Greetings
  6. Introductory Music / Hymn Singing
  7. Evangelistic Sermon / Message provided by Bethel Baptist Pastors
  8. Post-Sermon Small Group Studies (Optional)
  9. Closing Music / Hymn Singing
  10. A ‘Weekend’ (either post-service or the next day) Fellowship Activity such as
  11. Activities
  12. Fellowship ‘Coffeehouse’ Nights
  13. Improv Acting and TeamBuilding Nights
  14. Board Game Nights
  15. Sports Tournaments (Volleyball, Basketball, etc)
  16. Service Opportunities
  17. Volunteer Work at Local Causes (Soup Kitchens, etc)
  18. Evangelistic Opportunities
  19. Sidewalk Evangelism
  20. Public Debates with other organizations on campus
  21. Weekly Bible Studies
  22. Material: Apologetics focusing on Christ-centered topics regarding:
  23. History
  24. Prophecy
  25. Miracles
  26. Philosophical Inquiries such as the Problem of Evil
  27. Doctrinal Inquiries such as the Concept of Hell
  28. Religious Studies
  29. Scientific Inquiries such as Creationism versus Evolutionism
  30. Weekly Prayer Meetings
  31. Encouragement of SundayChurch service attendance
  32. As the student organizations grow, BethelBaptistChurch leadership and membershipwill strive to develop solid student leadership that can advance the organization’s goals further on campus, yet always with solid guidance, support, direction, and materials from BethelBaptistChurch.

Key Notes:

  1. Some key distinctions between ‘Christians By Conviction’ and other campus organizations, including para-church Christian clubs, would be
  2. Unity: While other groups may struggle with their identity, purpose, and mixed doctrines, our group will be empowered by a unified stance on the fundamental teachings of the Word of God. This standardizes the material we present within the group and provides a solid core and foundation for future activities.
  3. Centralized Leadership: While other groups have difficulty sustaining membership and direction due to the results of natural student turnover (100% every 4 years), our group will have the constant presence, guidance, and leadership of BethelBaptistChurch. With the commitment of BBC to campus ministry through the power of the Holy Spirit, we will have the personnel andleadership ready to sustain colleges through turnover and keep the organizations running well (and constantly train powerful leaders within the student body to continue the process).
  4. Discipleship: A key deficiency in many groups is the solid development of Christian Faith through strong, determined discipleship. Through having instruction and development based in apologetics, we will train Christians who are through the Holy Spirit confident in that they know and can explain why they believe what they do, and have the confidence to step out in faith and witness to others.
  5. Evangelism: With both BBC membership and student membership being strong in the Word of God and also knowing how to empathize and communicate to others through learning apologetics, we can pursue avenues of evangelism that other groups cannot. We can setup display tables, witness to the public, and engage in public discussions and debates.
  6. Fellowship: With direct support from BBC and with the training and resources that we have, we can develop more powerful, effective, and fun fellowship activities that can serve to draw larger crowds to the organization, where the visitors can be befriended, witnessed to, encouraged, and uplifted.

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